Wash them well, invite a couple of friends over and serve them with an assortment of hard cheeses, some cookies and a glass of Vin Santo or late harvest reisling and some coffee.

Or try this: wash and pit them (use a small knife and cut al the way around following the crease). Sautee a chicken, or some pork chops and while they are resting on a plate in a warm place sautee the cherries for just a moment with some black pepper, a pinch of thyjme if you like, some big red wine or marsala, and a dash of butter. Pour over the meat and pig out.

we just made a great salad the other day with bing and ranier cherries, toasted almonds, and a good blue cheese - we also threw in some dried cherries too, I think the recipe came from the Santa Monica Farmer's Market cookbook...it was delicious, a really nice summer salad

I agree - in general, if fruit is in its prime and sweet, I prefer it just as Mother Nature intended. Unfortunately, in America we think of fresh fruit as breakfast or snack food, not as a stand-alone dessert. I can take chocolate or leave it, but whenever I read about a chocolate and cherry dessert, I think, "Why would you ruin a cherry like that?" Believe me, I do have a sweet tooth (substantial sugar in my pasta sauce and stealthily sprinkled on a slice of pizza). As a result, I've learned how to pick the best fruit, and how long to ripen any that isn't at its peak potential. So when I find good fruit, I like it naked.

I had a serious cherry jones- so intense I stopped on my way home last night and when I got to the produce dept I couldn't find them- I got all weird and sweaty... Some old man helped me (they were hiding by the grapes) and I actually ate a few in the car (they got the ;finger rub cleansing instead of a water soak- yes, I went there. Who knows what virus I've contracted now... ;o)